The Road to Hong Kong

After a decade-long hiatus, Bing Crosby and Bob Hope once again hit the road (in the last and least of their seven-film series) as song and dance con men Harry Turner and Chester Babcock, respectively, in this Cold War-era comedy revolving around a madcap chase after Chester learns the secret formula for souped-up rocket fuel. A game Joan Collins, though no substitute for Dorothy Lamour, acquits herself respectfully as a spy, and Hope and Crosby do, at times, recapture the old magic, particularly when they are all-too-briefly reunited with Lamour while on the run from the bad guys. After they recap the film's plot, she agrees to hide them. "From the killers?" Hope asks. "No," she replies, "the critics.” Peter Sellers, Dean Martin, and Frank Sinatra, among others, put in cameo appearances. Not out-of-this-world funny by any means, but still a silly good time, this bare-bones DVD release sports a decent transfer. Optional. (K. Lee Benson)[DVD/Blu-ray Review—Feb. 10, 2015—Olive, 91 min., not rated, DVD: $24.95, Blu-ray: $29.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and debut on Blu-ray, 1962's The Road to Hong Kong sports a great transfer and a DTS-HD 2.0 mono soundtrack on the Blu-ray release, but no extras. Bottom line: the last of the Hope/Crosby Road comedies sparkles on Blu-ray.]